Mission 3
Recap: after repelling the attack on Pueblo Station, Edison Trent and Michael King captured the notorious Artifact smuggler, Sean Ashcroft, and delivered him to the LSF for questioning aboard the Battleship Missouri. Pre-Mission News RHEINLAND STATION ATTACKED: More trouble in Rheinland -- this time in the Hamburg system. Sources there report that a scientific research station was looted by marauders and left severely damaged. Investigators deny speculation that The Order might be involved, saying that the evidence instead points to a small group of pirates allegedly backed by Kusari interests. LSF CONDUCTS INTERNAL MEETINGS: With Liberty's security in the balance, Aemon Bonnerille said that the LSF was developing a new internal plan for dealing with security issues. Though he declined to share the details of his new initiative, he has scheduled meetings with all key LSF control personnel. Pre-Mission Rumors "Is your name really Trent? That's funny. A lot of people seem to be looking for a guy named Edison Trent. He apparently was on Freeport 7 when it blew up and is supposed to know who is behind its destruction." - West Point Bartender Walter Montgomery "You know what I heard? Remember that Rheinland supposedly has found a planet full of Alien Artifacts? (This isn't the regular stuff; people said that these things actually still worked.) Anyway, a friend of mine told me that he heard that Freeport 7 was destroyed because Rheinland had stored some of these Artifacts on the station. I wonder if there's any truth to that." - Captain Pam Armstrong, Liberty Navy "The bartender tells me that you are one of the few lucky people to survive the Freeport 7 disaster. The funny thing is that you're the second survivor I talked to today. A few hours ago, a man named Brandon Rowlett was here. He was looking for you, Mr. Trent." - Lieutenant Evan Brandt, Liberty Navy, Planet Manhattan Pre-Mission Log Entry Finally! Looks like Juni is back from her assignment. She asked me to meet her on Manhattan. MISSION 3: Manhattan, New York Objectives: *Meet Juni on Planet Manhattan **Log Entry: This is just great! I flew to Manhattan to meet Juni and to also see if I could find Lonnigan. Well, I didn't have to -- he found me and held a gun to my head! That guy has seriously lost his mind. He told me that he had killed a man today. He was still totally paranoid. Babbled something about Freeport 7 and Zone 21. I told him that I knew that The Order was behind it, but he seems to think that it was Liberty. He says it has something to do with Artifacts. Lonnigan said he wanted to warn me to get out of Liberty. I don't know, he was different this time -- seemed focused and determined -- not at all the man who was confused just a few days ago. After this pleasant encounter I went to the bar to meet Juni, and guess what -- she wasn't there. This whole trip to Manhattan is turning into a disaster. Well, at least she left a message with the bartender for me. I'm supposed to meet her on the terraforming station on California Minor. I asked the bartender -- the California system is only one jump away from the New York system. All I have to do is take the Jump Gate to California. According to the bartender, there are Trade Lanes all the way to California Minor. He's uploaded the pathway to my Neural Net. MISSION 3: California Minor, California Objectives: *Meet Juni in the Bar on Planet California Minor **Log Entry: Well, at least Juni had the decency to call me. She says she needs me for an assignment. Apparently, Ashcroft's interrogation was a success and yielded the information Juni and the LSF were looking for. I'm somewhat interested in what that thug had to say. When I'm in the mood, I'll look her up on California Minor. After entering the California system, Trent is approached by Brandon Rowlett at the Jump Gate, who asks him to meet him on Planet Los Angeles. Rowlett is killed by the Liberty Navy before they can have the meeting, however. **Log Entry: Things are really beginning to freak me out. I finally decided to meet Juni and came out f the Jump Gate in California when I was stopped by a guy named Brandon Rowlett or something. He said he was with me on Freeport and on the rescue ship. I don't really remember him, but I think I know who this is -- or rather, was. The guy was pretty freaked out and told me that some survivors from Freeport 7 had disappeared. He wanted to meet me on Los Angeles, but just as we wanted to fly off, a navy patrol came through the Trade Lane and shot him in cold blood. As the navy ships flew off, they sent me a comm to keep this quiet. What the heck is going on? I guess I'll keep it quiet, I don't want to end up like Rowlett did! Mid-Mission News IS ORILLION OPERATING IN LIBERTY? Sources say that there may be a relationship between organized crime and the movements of The Order. Moreover, there is a remote possibility that its leader, Orillion, may be operating within the confines of Liberty under criminal "protection". Though the LSF has officially downplayed this idea, they say that they are following up on every legitimate lead to expose Orillion, The Order, and whatever ties they may have. RADICALS COMMIT SUICIDE: The Liberty Military reports that several subversives and radical sympathizers of The Order have recently committed suicide rather than face arrest. Although the names of these suspects are being withheld at this time, authorities say that they are still part of an ongoing investigation. KUSARI, RHEINLAND SQUARE OFF: Shogun Edo of Kusari is said to have taken great umbrage towards recent remarks made by Chancellor Niemann. Edo bitterly dismissed the accusations of conspiracy and espionage, accusing the Chancellor of clouding the issues of his illegal operations in the Border Worlds and his infringement of the Boorman Treaty, which forbids armed aggression between the major Houses. ORILLION DEATH YIELDS FEW ANSWERS: Aemon Bonnerille, the Director of the LSF, said, "I hope that with the death of Orillion, information about The Order's operations in Liberty and elsewhere will be quickly discovered." However, with more questions than answers right now, some people feel that the only man who could have shed light on Freeport 7 and other criminal acts was silenced by the LSF. Mid-Mission Rumors "A friend of yours called in a few hours ago... his name is Michael King. He said he would contact you again soon." - Sales Rep. Ryan Dust, Universal Shipping "I hear that Walker has offered to help you. He's probably the most respected officer in the entire Liberty Fleet. He's been the skipper of the Utah for over five years now. They're actually stationed in Los Angeles, but regularly patrol in these parts of the system to fight off all the pirates and smugglers in this area." - Sergeant Craig Oberst, LPI "The LSF has brought in some of those strange Artifacts to the lab. We never heard what happened, but I suppose they did some experimenting or something. I never have figured out exactly what the LSF does." - Captain Hollie Welch, Liberty Navy "We just heard that a convoy was attacked in the Barrera Passage. It must have been an undercover operation since it wasn't listed on any official flight path. they should have talked to us before trying to take the Passage; artifact smugglers, Rogues and Outcasts have been operating in that area for a few days now. I wonder who was crazy enough to try this." - Sales Rep. Ryan Dust, Universal Shipping "It's really odd. My cousin, who's been assigned to the southern sector of the California system for almost ten years, was just transferred by the Navy without prior notice. It's really unusual for the Navy to do such a thing; actually, I've never heard of anyone who was transferred without reason or prior notification." - Sales Rep. Ryan Dust, Universal Shipping Mission 3: California Minor, California Objectives: *Escort a convoy from the Magellan Gate to Research Station Willard. The transports are carrying alien artifacts to be studied by LSF scientists on Willard. **Log Entry: I met Juni on California Minor. Wow, this place is basically a huge ice desert. Why anyone would want to settle here is a mystery to me. This has to be the worst bar in all of Liberty. Juni has less class than I thought. Her mission was interesting. Ashcroft claims that there is a traitor in the ranks of the LSF. Juni and I are to escort a convoy carrying Alien Artifacts from the Magellan system to a secret navy research lab here in California. Only a few people know about the convoy and its cargo. If we are attacked, it would prove that there really is a traitor within the LSF or the navy helping the Artifact smugglers. And just as we were about to leave, the News showed a breaking story that the leader of The Order had been killed. Guess what... they think it was Lonnigan! That's the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard. He was a trader, and not even a good one. He didn't plan the attack on Freeport, but he almost got killed in the blast. I tried to tell Juni, but she wouldn't listen. I have to say that Rowlett was right about Freeport 7 survivors disappearing, and most of them violently. I have to be careful. As long as I work for the LSF, I should be pretty safe. I've to get going. Juni is waiting for me in space, and given how moody she is, I better not let her wait too long. *Dock with the Trade Lane *Take the Trade Lane to the San Diego Border Station *Fly to the Transport Convoy *Meet up with the Convoy **Log Entry: We've reached the transports just before they entered the Barrera passage. The passage was built by the Navy Corps of Engineers and is basically a tube-shaped clearing through a dense ice asteroid field. Juni says that if there is an attack, it'll be inside the passage. We have to stay sharp. *Fly to the Nav Buoy *Head to the Entrance of the Barrera Passage *Escort the Transport Convoy to the First Buoy *Escort the Transport Convoy to the Second Buoy *Escort the Transport Convoy to the Third Buoy *Defend the Transport Convoy At this point, Trent, Juni and the convoy are attacked by eight Outcasts flying Border Series X Dagger Light Fighters. Shortly after the attack begins, friendly reinforcements arrive from San Diego Border Station in the form of LSF Gamma Wing, three Liberty BDR-337 Defender Heavy Fighters. After defeating the Outcasts... *Escort the Transport Convoy to the Fourth Buoy *Escort the Transport Convoy to Research Station Willard Upon reaching Willard, the convoy is met by three LSF heavy fighters and the Battleship Harmony can be seen nearby. Juni suggests that Trent dock at the station to refit and rearm. *Dock with Research Station Willard It is strongly recommended that you upgrade to a Class 3 Guardian Graviton Shield while at Willard, if you have not done so already. *Travel with Juni to discover more about the pirate attacks on the transport convoy. Between Juni's LSF contacts and her more surreptitious sources she should be able to acquire more information. *Meet Juni in space outside Research Station Willard *Fly to Planet California Minor **Log Entry: So much has happened since my last entry. To say that we were attacked is an understatement. These Artifact smugglers seem to have a sheer endless supply of ships. We must have fought off 20 or more fighters in the passage and we were lucky that San Diego dispatched a fighter wing to help us, or we probably wouldn't be here in one piece. If anyone needed proof that there's a traitor somewhere in the LSF or Navy, I think we now have ample evidence. Juni landed on Willard to contact her superior. She says we have to fly back to California Minor. Juni tells Trent during the flight to California Minor that her CO has been arrested for treason and all her friends in the LSF have disappeared. She was able to get in contact with King on Planet Pittsburgh. After mentioning this and leaving the edge of the Tahoe Cloud, three Rheinland 90-ARKM-N9 Valkyrie Heavy Fighters are spotted blocking the path to the California Minor docking ring. After Juni hails the Valkyries, they open fire. *Destroy the Rheinland Valkyries *Fly to Planet california Minor **Log Entry: What in the world is going on? After we left Station Willard, Juni told me her CO had been placed under arrest for treason, and that all of her friends at the LSF have somehow disappeared. She didn't have an explanation, but maybe that traitor we were trying to weed out wasn't alone. And then on our way back to California Minor, we were attacked by Rheinland Valkyries! I mean... what the hell are Rheinland ships doing in the middle of Liberty space? Seems to me that there's a conspiracy going on, and that it's much more serious than we thought. Juni wants to meet a guy named Walker on California Minor. He's the captain of a Liberty cruiser. Juni says we can trust him and that she knows him from the past. I hope she's right. *Dock with Planet California Minor *Meet Juni in the Bar **Log Entry: We met Walker on California Minor. He's a typical stiff military officer, but he seems okay. He even offered me a job with the Liberty Navy. If I ever take a job with these guys, I might as well admit to myself that my dreams of a life filled with adventure and discovery are over. Anyway, he promised to help us hunt down the Artifact smugglers here in California. The plan is to start our search near Station Willard and to take it from there. We'll see if Walker can be trusted. *Meet Juni and Walker in space above Planet California Minor After launching to space, King radios in and confirms the arrest of Juni's CO, and alleges that there's a major shakeup going on in the upper ranks of the LSF. He's shocked to hear that Juni and Trent were attacked by Rheinlanders. Juni and Trent link up with Walker (in the LNS Utah), which is accompanied by the Liberty Cruisers LNS Ohio and LNS Alabama, along with three Liberty Navy heavy fighters. *Fly to Walker *Join up with Walker on the far side of the planet **Log Entry: Right as we left the planet, King called in. He confirmed that Juni's CO is in prison. HE also told us that there's been a major shake-up in the ranks of the LSF. He seemed worried. But that's not the last of it. As we entered formation with Walker's cruisers, he contacted us on a secure channel to tell us that Navy High Command ordered his group back to space dock for inspection. He seemed very suspicious since his ships had been to space dock just two months ago. Suddenly, we picked up a mayday from Station Willard. Walker decided to disregard the High Command and ordered his group to head to the station. We have to hurry. The station reports that it is taking heavy damage. *Respond to the distress call of Research Station Willard. Walker's attack group should serve as a powerful force to help combat the Rheinlanders. *Fly to Research Station Willard *Respond to the Research Station Willard's distress call with Walker and Juni The station is under attack by two gunboats and several fighter wings. After taking out some of the fighters, a wing of three Rheinland Bombers attacks as well. *Destroy the Rheinland pirates **Log Entry: That must have been the biggest battle since the 80-Year War! Station Willard was under attack by several Rheinland gunboats and dozens of fighters. The station took heavy damage, and we barely managed to fight them off. There is general confusion as to what is going on. Walker and Juni are going to meet on the station and try to figure out what's going on. Juni wants me to take a few jobs and keep my head down. She promised to contact me once she knows more. Post-Mission News RHEINLAND SHIPS IN LIBERTY?: Rheinland Military ships allegedly entered Liberty space today and opened fire without warning. The President immediately contacted Chancellor Niemann, who denied that there were any official military units in the area. Military officials had no immediate comment but said that the incident is under investigation. RHEINLAND FOREIGN MINISTER DEAD: Karl Ettinger, Foreign Minister of Rheinland, was reportedly killed in a bomb blast earlier today. Ettinger was en route to inspect the remains of Hamburg Station when a fusion bomb, apparently hidden in one of his attending ships, detonated, killing everyone. Rheinland authorities say they are investigating the site of the incident, but since the destruction was so utterly complete, they have little to go on at this time. RHEINLAND ALLEGATIONS: Chancellor Niemann is said to have spoken directly with both President Jacobi and Queen Carina of Bretonia about the allegations he has raised against Kusari. Niemann has accused Kusari of backing The Order in its attacks against Rheinland and Liberty, and now added the assassination of Karl Ettinger to his list of charges. Post-Mission Rumors "Those people you came here with, Jun'ko Zane and Captain Walker, they're currently talking to our station commander. I don't know exactly what's going on, but apparently it got pretty loud in there -- lots of yelling and shouting. Then after a while, they sent out a top-priority dispatch to Manhattan. Something's going on, that's for sure." - Captain Hollie Welch, Liberty Navy, Willard Research Station "I hear that a Navy Cruiser abandoned her post a few days ago. They just straight up took the ship and there's no trace of them. How do you get away with an entire cruiser? It's not like you can just hide it in your pocket. Things must be getting intense in the military if ships are openly leaving positions like that without detection." ''- Lieutenant Andy Lords, Liberty Navy ''"Say whatever you want about its methods or politics, but the Navy is an impressive organization. They have tracked down just about all of the survivors from Freeport 7. Last report was that a patrol tracked down a man named Brandon Rowlett. He tried to flee, but these Navy pilots are among the very best here in Liberty. He never had a chance." - Willard Bartender Chris Logan "There's something strange going on in both the Navy and the LSF. I'm hearing rumors about a bunch of people that are being reassigned or simply removed from their posts. It's not like High Command to do things so under-handedly. It might have something to do with a traitor they've been trying to weed out lately." ''- Willard Bartender Chris Logan ''"Most of us think that these Rheinland ships were sent here under direct orders from Chancellor Niemann. He's denying it, of course, but there's no way a small fleet of Rheinland gunships would operate in Liberty without anyone in the Rheinland Military knowing about it." - Willard Bartender Chris Logan "What's going on? Why is Rheinland attacking us? We're a science station! Thank God for that cruiser formation. I'll never ever say they take too much out of my takses for military spending ever again. If it wasn't for them, we might not even be here anymore." ''- Steve Willingham, Universal Shipping, Willard Research Station ''"Have you heard all the talk about The Order? A colleague of mine told me that he was approached about two months ago to join The Order." - Captain Hollie Welch, Liberty Navy Next Up: Mission 4 Trent and Juni must flee Liberty before it's too late! Category:Missions